Apparatus for the treatment of ores.



No'. 788,330. I PATENTED APR. 25, 1905. l R. G. REILLY.

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OFORES.

APPLIOATIDH FILED APR. 15, 1904.

2 SHEETS-BHBET 1.

INVENTOI? A TTOHNE YS No. 788.330. PATBNTED APR. 25,1905.

R. G..REILLY.

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF ORES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2'.

W/ TNE SSE S A TTOH No. 788,330. a 0

NITED STATES Patented April 25, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT G. REILLY, OF ALBUQUERQUE, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO,

ASSIGNOR OF TWO -TI-IIRDS TO THOMAS J. OURRAN, OF ALBU- QUERQUE, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,330, dated April 25, 1905.

Application filed April 15, 1904. Serial NO, 203,343.

To a, whom it TIMI/j] con/007%.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT (fr. REILLY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Albuquerque, in the county of Bernalillo and Territory of New Mexico, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for the Treatment of Ores, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus by means of which ores may be conveniently and effectively treated.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for treating ores in the dry way, whereby the metallic contents thereof may be reduced to the free state with a minimum expenditure of fuel and at a more rapid rate than has heretofore been possible.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus which may be employed to reduce the metallic constituents of ores to the free state or which may be employed with equal success in desulfurizing certain ores without reducing the metallic constituents to the free state.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the treatment of ores in an economical manner and in which the parts are so designed and arranged that the use of the apparatus is not attended with any considerable destructive effect thereupon.

\Vith the objects above mentioned and others in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the novel apparatus h ereinafter fully described, it being understood that the apparatus may be varied as to the minor details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational View of the principal part of the apparatus, portions thereof being broken away to show the internal construction. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the complete apparatus, and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the devices for discharging the ore from the apparatus after treatment.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, B designates the surface upon which the apparatus is set up, and I 1 are iron pillars or columns upon which the principal portion of the weight of the apparatus is sustained.

2 designates a base-plate arranged between the columns and directly below the smeltingchamber of the apparatus.

The smelting-chamber consists of a lower section 3 and an upper section 4:, the latter being preferably about Iive feet in height and the former preferably about four feet in height. The lower section 3 of the smeltingchamber has the side walls thereof formed, preferably, out of wrought-iron plates 5 5 of suitable thickness which are imperforate throughout the lower three-fourths of their length, but which are pierced throughout the upper one-fourth of their length by numerous perforations 6. These plates 5 5 are set, preferably, at a distance of about fourteen inches apart, and the space between them forms the lower section of the smelting-chamber, which is therefore relatively narrow as compared with its height. Each of the plates 5 5 may be made of any desired width; but I prefer to make each about four feet in width, thus making the lower section of the smeltingchamber approximately four feet long. External to each of the plates 5 1 form an airchamber 7, which is completely closed except for an opening near the bottom, through which a blast-pipe 8 extends into the chamber, and for the perforations 6 in the plates 5, which form the inner sides of the chamber. The blast-pipes 8 convey cold air into the chambers 7 from any suitable blower. (Not shown.)

The upper section 4 of the smelting-chamber is of the same length and width as the lower section, but is slightly higher, as already explained. The side walls of the upper section of the smelting-chamber are com-' posed of plates 9, each of which is backed by a water-jacket 10, and a plurality of tubes 11 extend transversely through each of the water-jackets, as shown in Fig. 1. 11 are arranged in horizontal series, each series comprising, preferably, seven tubes, and the tubes in the several series being arranged, preferably, in staggered order. The tubes in the water-jacket at one side of the upper section of the smelting-chamber are not arranged opposite those in the water-jacket at the other side of the u ppersection of the smelting-chamber, because agitating devices hereinafter to be described are arranged for sliding movement in said tubes, and it is desirable that the agitating devices at one side of the smeltingchamber be arranged to act without interference with or from those at the other side of the chamber. In order to keep the water in the jackets 1O sufliciently cool, aconstanteirculation of water is maintained in each of the said jackets, and pipes 12 12 are provided to supply the water to the jackets. External to each of the water-jackets 10 a large air-chamber 13 is provided, and a valve 1 1 is provided at the top of each of the said chambers 13 to permit the escape of the air from the chambers when the pressure therein exceeds a predetermined degree. Air is supplied to the chambers 13 through pipes 15, connected with the blower which supplies air to the chambers 7 adjacent to the lower section of the smelting-chamber. The air supplied through the pipes 15 is a cold blast and is introduced in order to assist in reducing the temperature of the water-jackets and to cool the agitating devices when retracted into the chambers 13.

Above the upper smelting-chamber 1 a feedchamber 16 is provided, into whieh the ore to be treated is introduced along with'the proper proportions of any suitable fuel, coal, coke, and wood being all susceptible of use in the apparatus. A door 17 is provided at one side of the feed-chamber 16 to facilitate the introduction of the ore and fuel, and a stack 18 extends upward from the feed-chamber to create the necessary draft and to carry away the smoke and other deleterious products of combustion.

The agitating devices preferably employed in connection with the apparatus, as described in the foregoing paragraphs, consist of a pair of horizontally-reciprocatory cross-heads 19, each of which is arranged for movement in ways 20, provided in one of the air-chambers 13, and is provided upon its face with a plurality of pointed arms or bars 21 of slightly smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the tubes 11, which extend through the jackets 10 at the upper sides of the smeltingchamber. These pointed arms or bars 21 are therefore adapted to pass readily to and fro in the tubes 11 and to leave suflicient space within the tubes unoccupied to permit the passage therethrough of the air from the chambers 13, which is constantly renewed by the blast through the pipes 15. The provision of a small amount of space in the tubes 11, sur- These tubes.

rounding the bars or arms 21, is of great importance in protecting the bars or arms from burning when the apparatus is in operation and in also keeping the tubes 11 cool.

In order to impart reciprocatory movement to the cross-heads 19, so as to alternately introduce the bars 21 into the smelting-chamber and to retract them into the air-chambers 13 for cooling, any suitable mechanism may be arranged at either side of the apparatus and connected with the cross-heads. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated each cross-head is provided with a rod 22, pivotally connected with the cross-head and extending outwardly through a suitable stufling box or gland 23 at the outside of the air-chamber 13. The rod 22 of each cross-head is connected, preferably, with a slide 24, arranged in ways 25, which are mounted upon a suitable supporting-framework 26 at either side of the apparatus. Reciprocatory movement is imparted to each of the slides 24 by a pitman 27, driven by a crank 28, mounted on a shaft 29, which turns in bearings upon the framework 26 and is actuated through gearing 30, to which movement is imparted from any suit able source of power.

At the bottom of the smelting-chamber of the apparatus it is necessary to provide some means for discharging the contents of the smelting-ehember,and for this purpose I preferably employ a revolving paddle-wheel 31, having a plurality of curved blades or scoops 32, and mounted upon a shaft 33, which may be revolved in any preferred manner. The paddle-wheel 31 is mounted in the position shown in Fig. 3, with its shaft disposed horizontally and longitudinally of the smeltingchamber, and the blades or scoops of the paddle-wheel are of such dimensions that when the paddle-wheel is stationary the lower end of the smelting-chamber is substantially closed thereby. IN hen, however, rotary motion is imparted to the paddle-wheel in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, the contents of the smelting-chamber are gradually discharged in small quantities, the rate of discharge depending upon the rate of rotation of the paddle-wheel. Immediately below the paddle-wheel 31 an inclined plate 3 1 is provided, upon which the material discharged from the smelting-chamber by the paddlewheel falls and along which said material slides downward into atrench35, provided to receive it.

In the operation of the apparatus the ore to be treated, together with a proper proportion of fuel, is gradually fed downward in the apparatus by gravity, the descending mass of material being ignited at the bottom and the combustion being maintained within the mass by means of air or oxygen introduced into the apparatus. The mass during its descent is periodically agitated by the agitating device, and the material after its descent is dlscharged in a substantially continuous manner.' The ore and fuel may be intimately mixed before introduction into the apparatus or they may be laid into the apparatus in layers. The proportions of ore and fuel employed will clepend both upon the nature of the ore and upon to the introduction of the ore into the apparatus it is desirable to crush it into lumps not exceeding one inch in their greatest dimensions, and the fuel should also be in tolerably small masses to obtain the best results. When the apparatus is to be set in operation for the first time, it is desirable to fill the lower sec tion of the smelting-chamber for three-fourths of its depth with slag or other incombustible material and place thereupon the charge of ore and fuel, beginning the ignition at the level of the lowermost perforations 6 in the side walls 5 of the lower section of the smelting-chamber. After the ignition has been begun the ore and fuel are fed downward substantially continuously from the feed-chamber 16, and the agitators at the sides of the upper section of the smelting-chamber are reciprocated at the rate which is best adapted to the ore and fuel used in the apparatus. At the same time the paddle-wheel 31 at the bottom of the apparatus is continuously rotated at slow speed to discharge the contents of the apparatus as they descend therein under the influence of gravity. When the apparatus is in operation, the blast of air which passes into the chambers 7 becomes heated by contact with the plates 5 at the inner sides of said chambers, and when it passes into the smelting-chamber through the apertures 6 it is a hot blast and is adapted to facilitate greatly the reduction of the ores within the chamber. The reduction takes place almost wholly within the upper section 4 of the smelting-chamber, and when the ore passes down into the lower section it is in a substantially semifluid condition. Hence there is little or no-oXidation in the lower chamber, and it is unnecessary to employ water-jackets to protect the plates 5 5, which form the side walls of the chamber. On the contrary, the heat of the semifluid mass within the lower section of the smelting-chamber is made use of to heat the cold blast which enters the chambers 7 7 through the pipes 8. At the same time the heating of the blast from the semifiuid mass in the lower portion of the smelting-chamber deprives the said mass of a considerable por tion of its heat and causes it to be discharged at the bottom of the apparatus in a partiallysolidilied form.

The agitators provided at opposite sides of the upper section of the smelting-chamber serve to prevent consolidation of the mass of ore and fuel in the said portion of the smelting-chamber, and hence permit the passage of air into the mass of ore and fuel and cause the air to be thoroughly disengaged therefrom, thus insuring a very complete and uniform reducing action within the smeltingchamber and enabling the reduction to be accomplished much more rapidly than is possible in the ordinary way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In apparatus for treating ores, a vertical smelting-chamber comprising a lower and an upper section, the lower section being provided with lateral apertures above the bottom thereof, air-chambers adjacent to the lower section and communicating with the said aper tures, air-chambers adjacent to the upper section, means for forcing cold air into the said upper and lower air-chambers, and agitating devices arranged in the upper air-chambers and having bars arranged to project through apertures in the walls of the upper section of the smelting-chamber.

2. In apparatus for treating ores, a vertical smelting-chamber comprising a lower and an upper section, the lower section being provided with lateral apertures, air-chambers adjacent to the lower section and communieating with the said apertures, air-chambers adjacent to the upper section of the smeltingchamber, means for forcing cold air into the said upper and lower air-chambers, means movable in the upper air-chambers and extending into the upper smelting-section to agitate the contents of said upper section, and means at the bottom of the smelting-chamber for discharging the contents thereof at a substantially uniform rate.

3. In apparatus for treating ores the combination with a vertical smelting-chamber having apertures in its side wall, of means for intermittently agitating the contents of the smelting-chamber during a portion of its descent, the said means comprising cross-heads mounted to reciprocate'at opposite sides of the smelting-chamber, and each provided with a plurality of pointed arms or bars projecting through the apertures in the walls of the smelting-chamber, and means for reciprocating the cross-heads.

4. In apparatus for treating ore's, the combination with a vertical smelting-chamber having water-jackets at its sides, of agitating devices having bars extending through said water-jackets and movable transversely within the chamber, the bars at one side being oult of alinement with the bars at the other 51 e.

5. In apparatus for treating ores, the com- I bination with a vertical smelting-chamber having apertures 1n the side walls thereof, of agitating devices having bars pro ecting hori- 'lIO Zontally through said apertures, the bars at one side being out of alinement with the bars at the other side, and means for imparting movement to said agitators.

6. In apparatus for treating ores, the combination with a smelting-chamber, of water-jackets arranged adjacent thereto, tubes extending through said water-jackets into the smeltingchamber, and agitating devices having bars slidably arranged in said tubes and susceptible of introduction into said smelting-chamber and of retraction therefrom.

7. In apparatus for treating ores, the combination with a smelting-chamber, of water-jackets adjacent to said smelting-chamber, tubes extending through said water-jackets into said smelting-chamber, air-chambers external to said water-jackets with which said tubes communicate, agitating devices having bars of smaller diameter than said tubes slidably mounted in said tubes and susceptible of retraction into said air-chambers, and means for forcing air into said air-chambers.

8. In apparatus for treating ores, the combination with a vertical smelting-chamber provided with lateral apertures in its lower portion, of air-chambers communicating with said apertures, means for forcing air into the said air-chambers, devices for agitating the material in the upper part of the smeltingchamber, and a rotary discharging device at the lower end of said chamber.

9. In apparatus for treating ores, the combination with a vertical smelting-chamber, of means at the bottom of said chamber for discharging the contents thereof at a substantially uniform rate, means for forcing air into said chamber above the bottom thereof, agitating devices for the material arranged to be introduced into the upper part of the smelting-chamber and retracted therefrom, and means for cooling the agitating devices when retracted.

10. In apparatus for treating ores the combination with a vertical smelting-chamber, of water-jackets arranged at the sides thereof, a plurality of tubes extending transversely through said water-jackets and opening at one end into the smelting-chamber, air-chambers at the outer sides of said water-jackets and with which the other ends of said tubes communicate, agitating devices comprising crossforcing air into said air-chambers, and avalve for each air-chamber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT G. REILLY.

\Vitnesses:

BAXTER MORTON, JNo. M. BITTER. 

